Archive for 'Roman culture'
When Latin is Used for Greeking: “Lorem Ipsum” Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Aug 9, 2016
Salvete Omnes! This week we’re going to talk about another modern use of Latin. This use is easy to miss, and, in fact, it was meant to be missed. Also known as “Dummy Text”, the passage beginning with “Lorem Ipsum” is something that most internet users have seen at one point. When you’re setting…
Mythology in Space: A Reunion 400 Years in the Making Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Jul 20, 2016
Salvete Omnes! I hope everyone had a good weekend! As you might have seen this month, the spacecraft Juno has finally made orbit around the great gas giant, Jupiter! Astronomers may be most excited by this new milestone of planetary science for the opportunity to get a peek at the constituent materials of the Jovian…
The Festival Even the Romans Forgot Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Jul 13, 2016
Salvete Omnes! I hope everyone is well. This past week of July, or “Iulius”, was quite a busy one for the Ancient Romans. Starting on July 5th, we had the festival of Poplifugia, followed by the eight or nine day feasting of the festival of Ludi Apollinares, (“Ludi” = solemn games, “Apollinares” = honoring Apollo)…
Ancient Vesuvius Scrolls Read with X-Ray Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Mar 31, 2016
In the recent news, scientist and historians are working together to attempt to read some the ancient scrolls preserved by Vesuvius. For those of you who do not know the story of Pompeii and Herculaneum: Check out some previous blogs (here and here)! So, for the short and sweet version, two entire cities were well…
Julius Caesar: Father of the Leap Year Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Mar 2, 2016
First and foremost, hello everyone and Happy Leap Year! Julius Caesar was behind the origin of leap year in 45 BC. The early Romans had a 355 day calendar and to keep festivals occurring around the same season each year- a 22 or 23 day month was created every second year. TALK ABOUT CONFUSING! The calendar…
The Fugalia Festival Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Feb 25, 2016
Festival Time!!!!! In ancient Roman religion, Regifugium or Fugalia (“King’s Flight”) was an annual observance that took place every February 24. The Romans themselves offer varying views on the meaning of the day. According to Varro and Ovid, the festival commemorated the flight of the last king of Rome, ,[ Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning from 535…
Ancient Dentistry: Do you really want to know? Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Feb 17, 2016
Salvete Omnes (Hello Everyone!), I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day filled with love and chocolate! But, I wonder how many of us overindulged on the candy and sweets? DISCLAIMER: THIS POST WILL FEATURE EXAMPLES OF ANCIENT DENTISTRY. IMAGES MAY NOT BE SUITED FOR EVERYONE. So I was hoping as a contrast to my…